


When I'm with you (it's like everything glows)

by Ephemeral_Joy



Category: Sweet Magnolias (TV)
Genre: Babysitting, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, after S1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24697990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ephemeral_Joy/pseuds/Ephemeral_Joy
Summary: Tyler could not believe his mom asked Annie to babysit. He was seventeen! He could handle Katie! Alas, here she was (with a backpack filled with history, lingering stares and unspoken words), so he'd better make the best of it.(or: Ty and Annie babysit Katie)
Relationships: Annie Sullivan/Tyler Townsend
Comments: 10
Kudos: 113





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this from midnight till 4:30 AM so y'all know this will be a quality fic good luck
> 
> not edited|not beta'd|title from "waking up slow" by the amazing gabrielle aplin who solely exist for fandom music
> 
> talk to me! https://lydias--stiles.tumblr.com/

The doorbell rang, late and unexpected. Ty lifted his head from the couch pillow and watched as mom opened the door, revealing Annie in the baggiest sweatshirt he had ever seen. He quirked a brow. What was she doing here? 

'Thank you for coming on such short notice, Annie.' Mom flattened down the fancy dress she was wearing, about to go in a date with coach. Tyler was still confused about the  _ why _ and  _ how _ , but decided that with everything going on in his life, to not dwell too much on it. 

'No problem.' Annie shrugged, hitching her rucksack higher. 'Have fun on your date.' She wiggled her fingers, teasing. Mom laughed, kissed her cheek with a mumbled goodbye and left the house. Her eyes fell on Tyler. 

'You're home?' 

Ty puffed out a laugh. 'Yeah. Why're you here?' 

'Babysitting Katie. I thought I'd be,' she gave him a pointed look, 'alone.' She dropped her bag on the couch opposite of him. 'Guess your mom doesn't trust you with Katie. Or am I here to babysit you?' 

'Funny.'

'Thanks.'

'Katie!' Annie yelled up the stairs, instant rumbling heard above. His eyes lingered on the hoodie that swallowed her whole, very different from her usual get-up. But what the hell? Did his mom think he couldn't babysit his own sister? He was seventeen! He knew he wasn't super reliable  _ all _ the time but he was good with Katie, knew how to keep the house from catching fire. Maybe he should send Annie home and prove he could do it! 

'Annie!', Katie hollered, storming down in a bright pink tutu and a Claire's crown. The girl flung itself into the arms of the teenager, laughing. 

'Wow! You look so  _ pretty _ !' 

'Wanna watch Troll Hunters with me?' 

'Sure!' 

'Nope. I'm watching Daybreak,' Ty rebutted, nodding at the paused screen. 

' _ Ooh _ , can I see it?', Katie pleaded. 

'No!' Both teens exclaimed. She had to wait at least ten years for that. Besides, wasn't it almost her bedtime? 

Annie continued. 'And come on, Ty? Please? For Katie and me?' 

'Yeah, Ty. Please?' Katie pouted. Fuck. Honest to God, he was waiting on the day Katie didn't have the power anymore to use that puppy eyes look and make him relent. That day was yet to come. He supposed he had to wait till graduation. 

'Fine,' he sighed, throwing the remote at Annie. She grinned, triumphant, as Katie flew onto the couch, snuggling against him. 

'What episode are we on?', Annie asked. 

'I wanna see the beginning again!' 

'Again?', Ty groaned. He could probably recite every line by now. 

Annie clicked on the episode, chucking her shoes off. Alright. Perhaps this was training for when  _ he _ ever had kids. Or maybe the annoyance he felt when Noreen was still around was enough to last him a lifetime. He felt a soft tap on his arm that stretched across the sofa. 

'Don't worry,' Annie whispered, eyeing a mesmerised Katie. Her crown glittered in the TV lighting. 'She's out in like fifteen minutes.' Ty chuckled. 

As predicted, Katie's head fell in his lap before the credits were rolling. Annie took her to bed and quietly walked back down the stairs. 

'So my mom really called you to look after her for 30 minutes?' 

'You're still not over that?' She rolled her eyes. 

He shrugged. 'Nah. Do you watch Daybreak?' She plopped down next to him. He plucked at her sweater. 'Annie this is huge.'

She laughed. 'I like it! And yeah, I watch it too. I think I'm on episode six?' 

'Me too!' 

She sunk deeper into the couch, nodding at the screen to put it on. As it played, he felt an odd sense of comfort. They weren't talking, but it was nice to watch it with someone, rather than alone. Tyler often felt that way, not quite being able to relate to his baseball mates - except Gabe, perhaps. They didn't listen to the same music or watched the same movies and shows and no one could quite relate to having an artistic grandma or a half-sibling they never met. Katie didn't comprehend all that much and Kyle was… he was  _ Kyle _ . So something as ordinary as watching a show with Annie felt  _ good _ . Maybe they could have movie nights more often? 

'Hey, wanna make mug cakes?', she mumbled, snapping him out of his reverie. 

'Hm?' 

'Mug cakes? Wanna make some?' 

'I thought you weren't eating sugar anymore for your mom?' 

'When I'm with my mom, yeah. But I'm here. So,  _ Tyler _ , do you want to make mug cakes?' She jumped upright, crossing her arms and trying to emulate the same look Katie gave him. Damn. It even worked with her. Only now it was… 

He shook his head. He  _ could not _ think Annie was attractive. 

'Sure. Don't know how to make it though.'

'And that's why you're so lucky to have  _ me _ .' 

They paused Daybreak and went to the kitchen, Annie sitting cross-legged on the island and ordering him around for the right ingredients and instructions. As he went through the motions, he kept glancing at the sweater and for some reason it was driving him insane. 

'Annie, this looks bad,' he said, scrunching his nose at the mushy concoction. 

'It's good though. Put it in the microwave for two minutes.'

'Yes, ma'am.'

'Ew,' she matched his expression, 'the word "ma'am" is honestly so old-fashioned. Why don't we just call each other by our first name? If Serenity is really so "community" based, why not, you know?' 

He puffed out a laugh, slamming the microwave shut. 'Damn. That came from somewhere deep.' Her Instagram explained her thoughts on Serenity loud and clear, he just hadn't heard her actually say it. 

'Don't you feel the same? Like, our moms are so dreamy about Serenity, but… everyone gossips. And there's so much nepotism and toxic traditions and it's just,' she threw her hands up in frustration, 'I'm so  _ done _ with this town.'

He tutted his lips, leaning against the counter. 'Yup. It's all fucked up.'

Annie laughed, head thrown back. 'Thank you! Whenever I try to talk about this with Kyle he tries to lift my mood but sometimes I just wanna… rage, you know?' 

The microwave beeped, revealing perfectly cooked and risen mug cakes. Basically brownies but dumbed down, he reckoned. 

'Where did you learn this?' 

'Pinterest.'

He chuckled as he gave her a spoon. 'Alright. And hey, you can always vent to me.' 

'Thank you, Ty.' She smiled, watching him with anticipation as he dug in. 'So?' 

The goeey chocolate glided onto his tongue, yet salty enough that it was similar to Erik's brownies. He nearly moaned. 

He stuck his spoon in the mug. 'Pinterest is doing this?' 

Annie laughed. 'You should download it.' After a small hesitation, she added: 'Do you have anything to vent about? Since we're "besties" now.'

Tyler thought about it for a moment. Did he have something to say? It was odd that someone asked him, instead of trying to force it out of him like his mom or father. She asked him, without expectations. He looked down at the ground, a calmness washing over him.

'I guess I uh- am lonely, sometimes.' He dared to glance at her, but she simply looked at him, judgement free from her pretty eyes. 

'I have friends, obviously, but sometimes it feels like they're talking and I'm not… there? Like I'm an outsider or something. I can be in a big group and feel like I'm all alone… I don't know it sounds dumb.'

'It doesn't,' she replied before he could mull over it. 'I didn't realise you felt this way.'

Ty grimaced, awkward. A voice at the back of his mind (that sounded uncannily like his father) told him this was wrong, but he needed this. It felt good. 

'Yeah, well you're the first to know.'

She ducked into her sweater. 'Oh.' A moment later, she jumped off the counter and stood in front of him, hands stuffed in the front pouch. 'I'm sorry you feel that way, but know that you never have to feel lonely or alone or like an outsider when you're with me. Or that you're a bother or something.'

He quirked a brow. 'Never said I was.'

She cocked her head, glint in her eye. 'Just trying to cover everything. Just in case your angsty mind was thinking that too.'

'Angsty mind?', he took a step forward, challenging her exclamation. 

'You, Tyler,' she prodded her thumb his t-shirt, 'are angsty as shit. If you weren't a jock you'd be an emo kid.' Something changed in her smile, less friendly and more… he couldn't quite explain it. The urge to lean in suddenly overtook him, but before he could act on it, she slipped away.

Ty blinked, trying to collect himself. What the fuck was he trying to do? Kiss Annie? Mom would lose her mind and Dana Sue would put him through the ringer. Jackson would just laugh, especially after the moment they had last year and mutually decided to sweep under the rug. Her kiss had been short and smelled like vodka but it was… something. He couldn't quite explain it. But then suddenly CeCe came into play and with her it was easy. She was confident and matched his energy and it wasn't hard. He just went along with her ideas and it was fine. But then they broke up in the summer, the whirlwind of senior year began, baseball training became more intense and he had to get used to coach being a constant in his household. And now they were here, an average Saturday night in March about to make the exact same mistake. 

(Would it be a mistake?) 

'You should be a comedian, Annie,' he retaliated, peering at her. 

'Ha ha.' She took a final bite out of the mug cake. 'But for real, you can always come to me when you're feeling like that.'

His smile became timid. He wasn't used to someone locking eyes with him and really meaning the words they said. 'Thanks.'

The charged energy returned, something heavy and strong between them that both of them felt. He knew it from the flush on her cheeks and the way her eyes lingered on his lips. He stared at her plush ones too because fuck it, Annie Sullivan  _ was _ attractive. And she was so genuine and funny and kind and that sweatshirt was making him want to pull her closer. 

A sense of inevitability came over him, her fond smile pulling him in once more.

Fuck it.

He grabbed onto her hoodie, pulling her flush against him as he placed his lips on hers. Instantaneously, her soft sleeves wrapped around his neck, leaving no space between them. Her mouth was soft and warm and vaguely tasted like chocolate. A thrill ran from the crown of his head to the bottom of his spine, him taking a breath to grin. 

'What are we doing?', she exhaled, noses almost touching. The clock struck eleven behind them. 

His thumbs brushed against her shoulders and hair. 'I don't know… but it feels… right.'

'This is crazy,' she whispered. 

'And right,' he pressed on. They couldn't ignore this anymore, needing to choose a path. 

She bit her lip. 'And right.'

Ty grinned and ducked for her lips again, kissing her lightly. She giggled. Her hands threaded into his hair. 

'Wanna go on a date?', he asked, trying not to linger on how good that felt.

Annie rolled her eyes. 'I can already see the radical headline on the school newspaper: "Star Baseball Player Dates Childhood Best Friend".' 

'Would that bother you?' 

'I mean, last year I would, but since this is not one sided anymore… No.' The look in her eye made him crazy. 'So yes, I'd like to go on a date with you.'

His beam got brighter and kissed her once more, fervently this time. Annie reacted just as passionate, him getting so close her back bent over the kitchen counter. Peppering kisses on her lips and cheeks, she pushed him back with a laugh. 

'I have a feeling you're into PDA.'

'You're not?' 

She hummed. 'Maybe…' Her phone buzzed. Reluctantly, he gave her some space for her to read. 

'Kyle got sick at his sleepover so your mom is bringing him home. They're here in ten.'

Tyler groaned as he rolled his eyes.  _ Of course _ this was happening right now. 

'So pouty,' Annie teased, brushing the side of his lip. She fell away from his grasp and went back to the couch, grabbing her bag. 'Can we… keep this between us for a while? Before everyone and their dog knows?' 

'Couldn't agree more,' he quipped. Serenity would explode for a day and he was  _ not _ ready for that day. 

She replied to his mom's text and he couldn't help but stare at her and try to comprehend what just happened in the last minutes. How the hell did this super intelligent and thoughtful girl start liking him? Life was insane. 

'Thank you,' she said. 'I'm gonna go. I feel like she'll see right through me like moms  _ always _ do.'

'That does sound like my mom,' he mused, walking her to the front door. She pulled on her shoes, pecked him in the lips once more (was this what kissing was supposed to feel like?) and left, looking back to wave. He grinned at her retreating body like a fool. Annie and him were  _ dating _ . After a year of unspoken words and lingering looks, they were dating. He fell back on the couch with a sigh, scrubbing his cheek to try and get the stupid smile of his face.  _ They were dating. _

The front door opened, mom coming inside with a green looking Kyle. He didn't say anything, only groaned as he stumbled upstairs. Damn. Actually sick or did he… drink? He'd grill him tomorrow on it. 

'Hey,' mom came to him, sitting down with a sigh as she pulled off her heels. 'How was Annie?' 

'She was… she was good. Watched "Troll Hunters" with Katie, helped her to bed…'

'Good,' she paused on his face, 'you okay?' 

Were his lips flushed? 'Yeah. I'm tired. I'm going to bed.' He nearly dashed up the stairs, wanting to get away from her peering eyes. 

'Okay… Goodnight, Ty.'

'Goodnight, mom.'

As he fell down on his bed, smile etched on his skin, he grabbed his phone. 

**goodnight annie x**

Five minutes later, she replied. 

**Goodnight Ty xx**

He grinned, shaking his head. Annie was going to drive him wild and he already knew he was going to love it. 

Tyler was ready to see her smile and know it was only for him.  
Fondly, perfectly _for him._


	2. coda #1: A Very Exciting "Pour It Out!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Sweet Magnolias find out about Annie and Tyler's relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someone asked in the og one shot for a follow up, so here we are. helen is a gem and i couldn't help myself
> 
> edited|not bet'ad
> 
> talk to me! https://lydias--stiles.tumblr.com/

**can we pour it out right now??**

Helen looked up from her paperwork to catch the text lighting up her phone. Maddie needed a margarita right now? At four in the afternoon? There have been more peculiar times (their 7 AM drunk fest after Ryan left, just to give  _ one  _ example), but things have been quiet for a while. After Kyle recovered, everything had calmed down. Maddie and Dana Sue turned down their exes once more and the kids started school again. Heck, Helen saw Maddie just yersterday at the spa, smiling and laughing and joking! Even giddy for another date with Cal! Either someone died or she had thrilling news. 

**on my way**

**_me too_ ** Dana Sue replied immediately afterwards. After Annie explained to them how group chats worked, they now had one named after their high school nickname: “Sweet Magnolias”. Speaking of her niece, she has been brighter as of late, much happier than she used to be. Perhaps she was coming out of that pubescent behaviour, even her Instagram portraying the change in mood. More portraits than street rats, fortunately. 

Helen closed her bag and marched out of the office. She’d mull over Annie later. Now: Maddie’s problem. 

*

‘Thanks for coming y’all,’ Maddie said as a greeting, letting Dana Sue and her come inside. The former looked frightened, fanning her face as she plopped a can of premixed maragarita on the kitchen counter. 

‘You’re lucky I have this on demand in my fridge, honey.’

Maddie exhaled. ‘You’re a godsend.’

‘I know,’ she winked.

Helen cut to the chase. ‘What’s wrong, Maddie?’

The woman pressed her lips together, grabbng the bowl of tortilla chips and dips to their usual spot, for once devoid of children’s chatter. Kyla was at rehearsal, Ty at practise and Katie was probably at a playdate somewhere. Helen sometimes wondered if she was too involved with their lives to focus on her own, but that was a worry for another time. 

Maddie took a big gulp and said: ‘I saw something.’

Dana Sue and Helen gave each other a look. ‘You  _ saw  _ something?’, she repeated. 

‘Come on, Maddie! Spit it out! Did you see Jesus walking on water? What is it!?’, Dana Sue spouted, probably peeved she had to leave the afternoon shift for this. 

‘After school,’ Maddie continued, keeping the two women at the edge of their seat ‘Tyler drove the kids and Annie home, as usual. And after the kids got inside, Annie stayed in the car and...’ 

Dana Sue straightened up, already knowing where it was heading. ‘ _ No _ .’

A slow grin was building on Helen’s face, hidden by her glass. She took a sip. This explained  _ a lot _ . 

Maddie slowly nodded. ‘They kissed, Dana Sue.’

The women let out a loud wail, falling back into the couch. ‘Why is everyone in this town repeating history? Why couldn’t my Annie find a boyfriend in college?  _ Ooh _ , they probably normally kiss on  _ my  _ driveway because I’m at the restaurant! Cross my heart and-’

‘Dana Sue,’ Helen interuppted, ‘isn’t it adorable? Annie has a boyfriend.’

‘With Tyler! No offense, Maddie. I thought he was still with that CeCe girl.’

‘None taken. And they broke up when… you know,’ Maddie butted in. 

Dana Sue’s jaw fell shut. ‘Oh. Right.’

‘Well, I think it’s very sweet,’ Helen said after a loaded silence. 

‘I’m just… surprised. I wasn’t aware Tyler even liked Annie like that.’ Maddie frowned, taking another sip from her drink. The guac was slowly diminishing. ‘That’s why I wanted to pour it out. Do we let them keep this a “secret”? Do we confront them about this? Lay down some rules?’

‘Oh, you can  _ bet  _ I’m talking to Annie about this! She  _ knows  _ she has to tell me things like this!’

Maddie frowned. ‘You know Tyler would never take advantage of her, right?’

‘Of course,’ Dana Sue gaped, ‘but it’s the, you know, the principle that counts.’

‘Right,’ Helen agreed. In her opinion, the two were exploding this out of proportion. Didn’t they remember what is was like to be young and infatuated? Who knew, maybe this would be a forgotten memory by May and an inside joke by June. Worrisome mothers, Helen rolled her eyes, the kind she saw far too much of in the business. ‘My advice? Be gentle. You remember, back in the day with me and Ryan? Be her friend on this.’

The two women puffed, nodding in agreement. ‘Thank you, Helen.’

As if on cue, Ty’s car rolled into the driveway once again, this time alone with a duffle bag in the passenger seat. Maddie’s head jerked back to them, eyes wide and alarmed. 

‘Do I-?’

‘Yes!’, Dana Sue and her exclaimed. ‘Confront him now!’, she continued. She swore she should start asking money for all the advice she gave.

They kept uncharacterically silent as the front door opened, hearing how Ty chucked off his scuffed shoes and threw his hat on the coat rack. A soft grin was heard, eyes glued to his phone as he stepped inside the kitchen. Three pairs of eyes followed his movements. 

Suddenly he looked up and let out a startled yell at the sight of three women watching him expectantly. He dropped his phone on the counter, but Helen’s keen eye noticed his lock screen just in a time: a selfie of him and Annie. She chuckled. Teens were adorable. 

‘What the-!’

‘Don’t finish that,’ Maddie warned. 

‘Mom! What are you-? Why are you not at work? Why are Dana Sue and Helen here? I-?’ 

‘They’re here because…’, she trailed, seeking support in the eyes of her friends. They nodded. ‘because we were discussing your relationship with Annie.’

His shoulders fell slack, eyes wide. ‘How do you-?’

‘Kissing her in our driveway is not very subtle, Ty.’

‘Idiot,’ he mumbled under his breath and relented at the unwavering stare of Maddie, dropping on the couch next to Helen. 

His fingers tapped against the upholstery. ‘We’re not doing anything bad or something.’

‘We know,’ Maddie quipped, Dana Sue nodding. 

‘But you  _ also  _ know that in our families, we don’t keep secrets,’ Dana Sue added, ‘and that it’s a little more personal because it’s Annie.’

Tyler nodded, hestitated for a moment and then said: ‘Shouldn’t she be here? It’s weird to, like, talk about her when she’s not here.’

‘Her afternoon shift is almost done. I will be discussing this with her  _ privately _ .’ Dana Sue pointedly stared at him him, as if to say “don’t text her about this”. 

He frowned. ‘You’re not… gonna stop us? Right?’ Helen placed her hand on his. 

‘Ty, of course not,’ Maddie soothed. ‘This has just all… taken us by surprise.’

‘Now you know what it feels like when you started dating coach,’ he grumbled, but before Maddie could rebutt, Helen sent her a look. Not now, it said. Not necessary. 

The woman took a breath. ‘Okay…’

He pressed his lips together. ‘I’m gonna shower, alright?’

Maddie nodded and the three watched him stand up and basically flee upstairs, phone in hand. The women fell back into a moment of quietness, this time a comfortable one. Helen ate a chip.

‘I’m just surprised they kept it a secret,’ Maddie said, incredulous, ‘I mean, this town  _ loves  _ to wag their tongues,’ 

Dana Sue sighed. ‘Any girl. He could’ve picked any girl.’

‘You  _ do  _ realise Annie picked him too, right?’, Helen reasoned. Dana Sue chuckled, finishing her drink. 

‘Simon Spry was very respectable. A good choice.’

‘You seem to have forgotten she’s  _ your  _ offspring.’

She groaned. ‘Oh Helen Dacathur, why must you always be right?!’ Maddie laughed at Dana Sue’s antics, refilling her glass. 

‘I’m glad,’ Helen grinned, ‘I get paid for my charm and wit.’ She stood upright, brushing crumbs of her tailored trousers. ‘I’m going back to the firm. This has been a  _ lovely  _ break from our daily routines.’

Dana Sue snorted. ‘“Lovely”.’

As Helen left, heels clacking confidently against the pavement, she smiled. If Annie made Tyler grin like a fool and Tyler made her face brighten up like a thousand suns, than they mustn’t worry. It didn’t matter whether they were soulmates or not (Helen long ago decided she did not believe in such nonesense anymore), they liked each other  _ now _ . And that was all that mattered. She made sure that if Dana Sue accidentally went too far, she’d be there to pick up the pieces for Annie. Out of the corner of her eye, the beating sun nearly blocking her sight, she saw Tyler’s body nearly hanging out if his window as he called someone. Annie, she presumed.

Ah, young love. How exciting. 

(An ordinary evening a few weeks later, Helen would see them walking down Main Street, hand in hand and arms basically glued together. Tyler would whisper something in her ear and she’d laugh, kissing his cheek.

She’d see Annie with blue and yellow ribbons in her hair as she would take pictures of the game. She’d run on the field to congratulate Tyler, him lifting her in the air and kissing her. Helen would coo alongside the other parents. 

She’d see them cuddling on the couch on margarita nights at Maddie or Dana Sue’s, passionately discussing a show they would be simultaneously watching. She’d see Tyler staring at her with a fond smile on his face as she ranted. 

She would hear Maddie gushing about Annie being Tyler biggest supporter on the field and in academics, not even minding how they would sometimes facetime deep into the night.

She would be at Sullivan’s and see Annie sneak glances at her phone during her shift, smiling abashedly.

She would pick up Tyler from an event and Annie would call him and he would call her “babe” and “belle” and afterwards she’d ask him where “belle” comes from and he would smile and say “From Annabelle.”

She would take a hike with Annie and the girl would be stressing over a birthday gift for him, for her to only give him a envelope, the contents kept a secret from the rest of them. 

She’d let them be alone at her house because she remembered what it was like to be young and in love. Because that was what they were.)

  
Young love… indeed,  _ very  _ exciting. 


End file.
